Anti-pilfer device for wine bottles

ABSTRACT

An anti-pilfer device for application to a cork of a wine bottle includes a disc. The disc has a recess in at least one surface and is adapted to accommodate an adhesive for securing the disc to the cork. The disc is formed from a material having a relatively wide useful temperature range. The range is from about −5° C. to about 100° C. such that the material has a glass transition temperature below about −5° C. and a softening point in excess of about 100° C.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

There is a trend away from the old style capsule seal on the top of awine bottle to a security cap or anti-pilfer seal. The cap can be of apaper type and mere are variations through to a wax cap which approachesan old method of using scaling wax. Present bottle filling rates appearto demand that any sealing device is premade and only attachment takesplace on the production line.

Known wax caps from the United States are made of “wax” and are adheredto the top of the cork using hot-melt glue. The top of the cork ispushed a small distance into the neck of the bottle so that the wax capwhen attached is approximately flush with the top of the bottle.

“Wax” has some inherent problems when used for this purpose. It is aconvenient material and is relatively easy to handle but it has alimited range of useful temperatures. When cooled below the glasstransition temperature it becomes very brittle and susceptible toshattering when subject to the entry of a cork screw. The temperaturerange between glass transition temperature and the softening point islimited to about 40° C. while the melting point is below 100° C. The“wax” currently being used appears to have a glass transitiontemperature close to the temperature of a domestic refrigerator, whichmeans that some caps shatter when the cork is extracted. The softeningtemperature appears to be less than that reached inside a car when indirect sunlight, which again is a problem.

Further to the above, the known wax caps take the form of a basic dischaving flat upper and lower surfaces. A flat lower surface in particularleaves little room for the application of hot melt adhesive between thecap and the top of the cork. As a result, the adhesive can leak from theside of the cap during application and leave little adhesive in positionto secure the cap to the cork and at the same time deposit a mess ofadhesive on the lip of the bottle.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantiallyameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages and/or more generallyto provide an improved anti-pilfer cap.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

There is disclosed herein an anti-pilfer device for application to acork of a wine bottle, the device having a disc formed from a materialhaving a relatively wide useful temperature range as defined herein, thedisc being provided with a recess in at least one surface thereof, whichrecess is adapted to accommodate adhesive.

Preferably, the disc is formed of plastics material.

Preferably, the recess is cylindrical.

Alternatively, the recess can be in the form of a concavity.

Preferably. the cap has an annular rib about the recess or recesses.

Preferably, the device is engineered to have a low penetration strengthso that it is easy to insert a cork screw therethrough for removal ofthe cork from the bottle.

Preferably, the cap is formed of polymer wax.

There is further disclosed herein a combination including a bottlehaving a neck, a cork received wholly within the neck and the and-pilferdevice as disclosed above, wherein adhesive is located in the recess andserves to secure the disc of the anti-pilfer device to the cork.

Preferably, the anti-pilfer device is positioned wholly within the rack.

DEFINITION

As used herein the term “relatively wide useful temperature range” isintended to mean that the glass transition temperature is below −5° C.while the softening point is not reached until in excess of 100° C. Themelting point is well above this.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by wayof example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an and-pilfer device,

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 1 takenat A—A,

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another device, and

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional elevational view of theanti-pilfer device of FIGS. 1 and 2 in position upon a cork within theneck of a wine bottle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings there is schematicallydepicted an anti-pilfer device 30. Device 30 is typically fabricatedfrom “polymer wax” and is engineered to have a low penetration strengthso that it is easy to insert a cork screw therethrough. The device 30has an upper and lower recess 31 into one of which adhesive can beapplied for connecting the device to the upper surface of a cork. Aboutthe periphery of the cap 30 there is an annular rib 33 which defines theshape of each of recess 31. The recesses 31 are separated by a thin web32, to the upper and lower surfaces of which there can be impressed,adhered or otherwise imprinted a logo for example. The web 32 should besufficiently thin for easy penetration a corkscrew or other conventionalremoving device. The web 32 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 includesupper and lower surfaces which are substantially flat. That is, therecesses 31 are substantially cylindrical.

As an alternative, and as shown in FIG. 3, the recesses 31 might be inthe form of a concavity That is, the upper and lower surfaces of the web32 can be curved like the inside surface of a sphere.

As shown in FIG. 4, the disc 30 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in placewithin the neck 52 of a wine bottle 51. A cork 50 is positioned withinthe neck 52. Adhesive 53 is positioned in the recess 31 at the undersideof web 32. It should be noted that an annular ridge 33 extends aroundthe web 32 and serves to prevent lateral spillage of the adhesive 53from the space between the web 32 and the upper surface of cork 50. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 3, the annular ridge 33 is not provided. Instead,the cylindrical surface of each concavity 31 extends to the outer edge34 of the disc 40, serving the same purpose.

It should be appreciated that modifications and alterations obvious tothose skilled in the art are not to be considered as beyond the scope ofthe present invention. For example, a recess 31 might be provided onlyat one side of the device.

By way of the present invention, it will be clear to the observer thatpilfering of the wine bottle has not occurred by the fact that the web32 is free of penetration marks or fractures. Since there is very littleif any space between the outer periphery of the disc 30 or 40 and theinner surface of the wine bottle neck, it is not feasible thatimplements be inserted for the purpose of lifting the disc withoutdamaging the disc. Also, it should be apparent to the addressee that asignificant advantage of the present invention is that the adhesive 53is retained between the web 32 and the upper surface of cork 50 withoutlater a spillage, a problem associated with the prior art and asmentioned earlier.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combination comprising: a bottle having a neckhaving an inner diameter; a cork received wholly within the neck, thecork having an upper surface and a consistent outer diameter along itslength, and being configured to mate with the inner diameter of theneck; and an anti-pilfer device comprising a disc having an outerdiameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of thecork, including a recess in at least one surface of the disc, the recessfacing the upper surface of the cork and including an adhesive withinthe recess and in contact with the cork, and being formed from amaterial having a relatively wide useful temperature range, said rangebeing from about −5° C. to about 100° C. so that said material has aglass transition temperature below about −5° C. and a softening point inexcess of about 100° C.
 2. The combination of claim 1, wherein theanti-pilfer device is positioned wholly within the neck.
 3. Thecombination of claim 1, wherein the disc is formed of plastics material.4. The combination of claim 1, wherein the recess is cylindrical.
 5. Thecombination of claim 1, wherein the recess is in the form of aconcavity.
 6. The combination of claim 1, wherein the disc has anannular ridge about the recess or recesses.
 7. The combination of claim1, wherein the disc has a penetration strength low enough to permitpenetration of the disc by a cork screw.
 8. The combination of claim 1,wherein the disc comprises a first recess and a second recess.
 9. Thecombination of claim 8, wherein the adhesive is located in the firstrecess or the second recess.
 10. A method of applying an anti-pilferdevice to a cork of a wine bottle, the method comprising: providing awine bottle having a neck having an inner diameter; providing a cork,the cork having an upper surface and a consistent outer diameter alongits length, and being configured to mate with the inner diameter of theneck; providing an anti-pilfer device comprising a disc including arecess in at least one surface of the disc and being formed from amaterial having a relatively wide temperature range, said range beingfrom about −5° C. to about 100° C. so that said material has a glasstransition temperature below about −5° C. and a softening point inexcess of about 100° C. wherein the recess is adapted to accommodate anadhesive for securing the disc to the cork; inserting the cork whollyinto the neck of the wine bottle; applying an adhesive to the recess;and securing the anti-pilfer device to the cork, wherein the adhesive inthe recess is in contact with the upper surface of the cork.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the disc is formed of plastics material. 12.The method of claim 10, wherein the recess is cylindrical.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the recess is in the form of a concavity.14. The method of claim 10, wherein the disc has an annular ridge aboutthe recess or recesses.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the disc hasa penetration strength low enough to permit penetration of the disc by acork screw.
 16. A method of visually detecting whether the contents of abottle having a cork have been tampered with or pilfered, the methodcomprising: providing a combination of: a bottle having a neck having aninner diameter; a cork received wholly within the neck, the cork havingan outer diameter configured to mate with the inner diameter of the neckand an upper surface; and an anti-pilfer device comprising a disc havingan outer diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameterof the cork, including a recess in at least one surface of the disc, therecess facing the upper surface of the cork and including an adhesivewithin the recess and in contact with the cork, and being formed from amaterial having a relatively wide useful temperature range, said rangebeing from about −5° C. to about 100° C. so that said material has aglass transition temperature below about −5° C. and a softening point inexcess of about 100° C.; and visually inspecting the anti-pilfer deviceto determine whether it is free of fractures or penetration marksindicative of the contents of the bottle being tampered with orpilfered.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the disc is formed of aplastics material.
 18. The method of claim 16 wherein the recess iscylindrical.
 19. The method of claim 16 wherein the recess is in theform of a concavity.
 20. The method of claim 16 wherein the disc has anannular ridge about the recess or recesses.
 21. The method of claim 16,wherein the disc has a penetration strength low enough to permitpenetration of the disc by a cork screw.
 22. The method of claim 16wherein the disc is formed of polymer wax.